NATO chief says Sweden has taken “important steps” to meet Turkey’s demands | WKZO | All Kalamazoo
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden has taken important steps to meet Turkey’s requirement to approve Stockholm’s NATO membership application, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday during a visit to Sweden.
Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance last month, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their applications have met with unexpected opposition from Turkey, which has been outraged by what is believed to be Swedish support for Kurdish militants and by an earlier decision to withdraw arms export licenses to Turkey.
“I welcome the fact that Sweden has already begun to change its counter-terrorism legislation and that Sweden will ensure that the legal framework for arms exports will reflect the future status of NATO members with new commitments to allies,” Stoltenberg said during a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson .
“These are two important steps to address the concerns that Turkey has raised.”
Andersson said that Sweden had changed its terrorism laws and was in the process of tightening further.
“From the first of July, we will also have even stronger legislation regarding the fight against terrorism. So here there are no questions about how strongly Sweden views (on) terrorism and that we are willing to contribute in the fight against terrorism, she says.
Stoltenberg also said that the purpose was for Sweden and Finland to join NATO “as soon as possible” and that it was inconceivable that NATO allies would not come to Sweden’s defense if attacked.
(Reportage by Johan Ahlander and Simon Johnson; Editing by Simon Johnson)